Elaine
by Squirrel No2
Summary: -Elaine is afraid to do anything, because she knows how it ends, but this is her home now.- This is, cliche as it sounds, about an OC living in Camelot. She basically watches everything and tries to help her friends, making the knowledge of destiny a burden. She doesn't change canon, if you're worried; she's there to protect Merlin from himself, mostly. T for rare swearing
1. The Dragon's Call

_Hi, Cat speaking! I don't own any of these plots. I don't own any of these characters except for Elaine. Basically, I don't own it. Also, an explanation which works better than my summary:  
Elaine is my Merlin OC. She basically exists to observe the goings on in Camelot and make snarky comments. Yes, she has an... unusual background, and the anachronisms are on purpose. She does not affect canon at all, so if it seems like there's a pairing you don't like, don't worry. (Unless it's canon; then I can't help you.) She will merely watch, and sometimes make wrong assumptions, and sometimes develop feelings of her own. (She is a person, after all.)  
The stories are written as though they are her thoughts, in a way, so the odd style is completely on purpose if you haven't noticed. Similarly, she cannot comment on things she's not there for, and she doesn't figure things out any sooner than the rest of you.  
This is similar to a fic about someone called Wynona, by Beatlesgirl9; we did not steal each other's stories, we just came up with the concept at the same time. She is amazing, by the way, as is her OC Wynona. Ok, now read!_

The first time Elaine sees Merlin, she has no idea that the most powerful warlock ever is that boy in the stocks, being pelted with tomatoes. (And if Uther doesn't like magic, how have tomatoes stayed in Camelot this long?)

She shakes her head pityingly and continues on, returning home (home, home, Camelot is her home!) after a week spent gathering herbs in a not-so-near forest.

The second time she sees Merlin is not so much later, when he's come to Gaius after being released from the stocks and is puzzled to see this young woman humming horribly off-key and mixing some sort of tonic.

"Ah, Merlin," Gaius says, and Elaine stares at the boy in surprise. "This is my apprentice, Elaine Ragnelle. Elaine, you remember my telling you about the boy coming to live with us?"

"You never mentioned his name," Elaine says reproachfully. She smiles at him, Merlin of the big ears and blue eyes, and she is _not_ crushing on him, not Merlin, but he is adorable, really. "Nor that he wasn't a child. You had me expecting to sing lullabies over a cradle."

Gaius looks suitably ashamed.

Then there's the time when he has just come back from speaking with the dragon.

Elaine is standing by the door, arms crossed and eyebrow raised, when Merlin re-enters. He stops and stares at her in horror.

"He's right, you know," Elaine says without preamble.

Merlin blinks and tries for a charming smile. "Who?" Elaine is silent and Merlin winces. "Well, what can I do?"

_He doesn't know,_ Elaine realizes. _He knows that he can do all of this, but he doesn't know why it's so important, and he has no idea that he can trust me..._

So she makes two chairs move across the room so they can sit. Merlin stares at her.

"Sit."

He does, or they do, and they're silent for a while.

"Well... I _can_ do that," he admits, and she knows. This is hard for him, he's only just arrived, and newly made clear to him is weight of his gift. He doesn't know how much, even, and Elaine hopes for his sake he never fully will.

"I know." They're quiet again.

In the morning Elaine wakes up, and she's on her bed, with a blanket over her, and she knows somehow that her family, odd and makeshift as it is, will last.

Because when he does magic, his eyes glow gold, and so do Elaine's.

After Arthur is saved, Elaine sits with him – Merlin, that is, not the prince (he knows nothing about her, not even the simple fact of her existence, and she likes it that way) – and they talk. Elaine doesn't talk much, but this is something she knows, and she's comfortable here.

"Arthur's a prat," she begins, "but he'll get better."

Merlin looks at her in the way the maids had when they'd taken bets on how long Merlin's job would last and Elaine had said forever, all pitying and sorry that they couldn't improve her mental state.

"In fact," Elaine goes on, "You two? Nigh inseparable. I'm sure of it."

Merlin laughs. "A seer you are not," he says, and it's ok that he doesn't believe her, because she _knows, _and she'll be earning loads and splitting the money with Gwen if it turns out she's not that Guinevere, and if she is, well, Elaine can just visit the tavern that many more times.

Elaine is sometimes a disappointment, sometimes a drunk, sometimes a bitch or a pagan or a heathen or a nerd or a piece of shit (all her oh-so-encouraging father's words, of course). But the one thing she never is, is wrong.


	2. Valiant

_Cat here! Obviously I don't own this stuff... not the plot, not the opening line (direct quote from the titular episode), not the characters-who-are-not-Elaine... You get the picture. There is a long, long list of things which I do not own; Merlin is right up there next to everything else. :)  
You may have noticed that I directly reference things from the episode without explaining much; if it bugs you, go watch the episodes. If you have no idea what's going on and are lost as to who this "Merlin" person is, you are clearly in the wrong fandom. Also, (I don't know if it hapens so much in here, but it's coming up and I may as well announce it) there will be anachronisms at certain points, such as blatant Monty Python references. I know that Monty Python and the like did not exist in the days of Arthurian legend. I am not actually that stupid. They are there for a reason, and if you figure the reason out, yay! You make me happy, because clearly you are paying attention to my words. Ok. Shutting up now... READ!_

"Do you hear clanging?"

Elaine laughs at Merlin as Gaius sits him down and begins to look after him. She frowns, though, when Merlin uses magic to pull the book to him.

He shouldn't rely so much, that's how people go bad, she knows.

But this is Merlin. He will be fine.

She goes back to frowning at her book, deciding what she needs to know. There is a tournament, after all, with big sacks of testosterone banging away at each other with phallic symbols, and someone will no doubt get hurt.

Later - the next day? Elaine doesn't do time - at some point, Elaine hears Gaius yell (sort of. Mildly. Ish) at Merlin for using magic. Sighing and shaking her head, she finishes fixing up Sir Kay's bruise balm.

It's a good thing none of the knights ever stay to chat.

Those times when Gaius pokes fun at Merlin, Elaine just smiles. It's real, it's all real, and it's hers to watch.

She feels sick, though, when she sees the snake bite on poor Ewan and points it out to Gaius. Gaius shows Merlin when he comes in and Merlin says something about Sir Valiant and leaves again. Elaine sighs worriedly and follows.

"Merlin," she hisses, and he jumps and whips around. "I'm coming, too," the girl says by way of explanation, and together they sneak to Valiant's chambers, because Merlin knows now that he can't keep Elaine from something like this.

They see snakes coming out of Valiant's shield and Elaine has to suppress a noise. She's never liked snakes, really, they scare her, and this? Terrifying.

So then when Merlin leaves after Arthur wins his fight and they realize that Valiant will kill the prince given half the chance, Elaine presumes it is to get proof and doesn't really care to follow.

Elaine goes to see what Uther says to Arthur (and Merlin!) and berates herself when it's discovered that Ewan has died.

Valiant is a bloody son of a politician, Elaine has decided. He no doubt sent his snakey servant to kill a defenseless man, and he has the gall to accuse Arthur of cowardice. He's the reason Merlin and Arthur both look like ghosts. It's only been three days or so, but Elaine is sure that they can both feel their destinies being worn at the edges from the perceived betrayals. (Because Elaine has always loved poetry, and if magic is real, she probably has the right to say that destiny is, too.) Elaine wants to hang Valiant with a rope which only he can see, torment him for his entire life and never let anyone help him.

She could do it, too. She _wants _to. She... Why does Merlin have a dog?

"Why do you have a stone dog?" Elaine asks, startled out of her usual silence. Merlin ignores her.

"Ah. That makes sense," she comments to no one in particular as Merlin hastens past.

When she hears the spell she barges into Merlin's room, remembering an ill-fated attempt to adopt a pet.

"What are you trying to do, frame him for bringing some bloody stone dog to life?" Elaine pauses and adds, "Isn't that from the courtyard? Won't Uther miss his decorations just a wee bit?"

Merlin just stares at her, and Elaine decides now is a good time to leave.

Merlin hurries out that next morning, when barking echoes from his room, and Elaine (wisely, she thinks) decides to follow, leaving Gaius behind to deal with the blasted thing.

She's pretty sure Uther will want his dog back, though.

When Arthur kills Valiant unceremoniously, Elaine sighs.

That's what he gets, she supposes, for skipping his chivalry classes instead of studying like a good little boy.

She overhears Arthur and Morgana talking.

Prats, the both of them. She hopes they never change.


	3. The Mark of Nimueh

_It's Cat... Of course. I have a talent for stating the obvious. So quite clearly this is another chapter in Elaine's life, and the rest of the Merlin cast... (I realized recently that I have a tendency to treat my OC's as canon. Um.) Yes, there is a Monty Python reference. There is a reason, and you can probably figure it out if you read carefully and/or in between the lines. I quite clearly do not own this, or Elaine would be an actual character and have entire episodes devoted to her, like there are for Gwen and Lancelot and Morgana and everybody else. Ta-da. Read; I love you all, if you actually have stuck with me. It makes me very happy. Also, there are a few quotes directly from the episode, so pretty much all the dialogue that isn't said by Elaine is not of my own creation. Almost forgot that..._

"...There's nothing really to be scared of," Gaius says briskly, turning the victim of the unknown illness over.

Elaine closes her eyes in respect and horror at the sight of the peasant's pale face, dark veins, and milky eyes. "Except for that," she says softly, crouching to shield the body from prying eyes.

"You were saying?" Merlin says quietly.

Gaius and Merlin quickly move to cover the body as Elaine stands and shudders, thinking too much for her own good. And of course, it's magic again, because Uther has been slacking off on his hate lately and Camelot most certainly can't have that... There might be peace or happiness among the people, after all.

And then Gwen comes up, sweet, innocent Gwen, right as they're moving the bodies (yes, plural, sadly - why?), but thankfully she just asks once and gives Merlin a flower (and there's a side to the myth nobody's thought of back home, so Elaine smiles in spite of herself at the looks on her friends' faces). Looking at the cart, a collection of bodies covered in a rough bit of brown, Elaine represses the urge to sing, because really? "Not Dead Yet" would be about as tactful as Arthur.

"Who has this kind of power?" Gaius asks later. Elaine blinks. She would think that a plague would be simple enough to bring about by magic, not that she's tried it, but then again most aren't as powerful as Merlin, or even Elaine herself.

Then come a few conversations for Merlin, first with Arthur, then with Gaius, culminating in "You'd be a dead servant." (Because Merlin apparently doesn't like lying, which is admirable, but still.) Elaine shakes her head, finding the discussion mildly hilarious; nobody here seems to know what she knows. Of course, it could very well be she has it entirely wrong, but she's pretty sure Arthur's not about to kill Merlin any time soon.

Uther pushes Gaius to say it when he asks for his professional opinion, to say what he, the king, will not. Elaine wonders if he knows that he is wont to blame everything on sorcery and therefore relies on Gaius to keep his lords from saying "There goes a paranoid old man," or if he just is in denial. Uther's so (well, she'd say stupid, but that doesn't begin to cover it), it's hard to tell.

Later, when Arthur bursts in, Elaine panics, because she really, honestly has a right to. What is he doing, searching the Court Physician's chambers? It's only Gaius and Merlin and herself who live or work here, and they certainly aren't - well, all right, all three of them are magic users, but they're trustworthy, and it's not as though Arthur knows their secrets anyway.

And why, oh why, did he have to fixate on Merlin's room? Elaine almost has a heart attack when he calls for Merlin to come and seee whatever he's found.

Thank any and all gods for cupboards.

Elaine thinks she and Merlin really need spells to help hide things in plain sight as she covers up yet another page of notes on a particularly complicated spell, hoping the guards don't notice the draft.

What is it with her and leaving things lying out, anyway?

Elaine figures out that it's water first, and blurts it out when Merlin's halfway through "I doubt they breathe the same air." It's obvious, really, to her, and Merlin catches on quickly enough.

Later, Gwen is sobbing and begging and Elaine can't bear to see her like this, she's good and so is her poor, ill father, and who the hell does this sorceror think they are, ruining poor Gwen's life? It's not her fault, none of it is, so keep her out of it. Elaine follows Gwen after she leaves Gaius and Merlin, because she has to comfort her.

"Gwen!" she calls. Gwen keeps running, and Elaine begins to feel tears of her own pressing at her eyes. She asks a now recurring question: this is Gwen, sweet Guinevere... Why her?

Later Elaine is working because she has to, people can't just die without her having at least tried to save them, she has to help, and Gaius pulls Merlin into the workroom. They begin to argue, but elaine ignores them because she has more important things to worry about, until she realizes what they're talking about.

"Wait, you cured him? Gwen's dad, he's all right?" She swore colourfully as the other two continued to bicker. She's just as upset that it was Merlin who helped, and not her, as she is upset that Merlin was stupid enough to pull a stunt like that. Elaine won't ever admit it, but the knowledge of that truth is there.

Elaine locks herself away when Gwen is taken and cries. She cries, fat, warm, salty tears, a face full of snot and wet and misery. Gwen is her friend, her better judgment, her friendly, talkative sense of self-preservation. Later on, when she's a bit under control, but only a bit, Elaine goes to see Gwen. They talk a little about nothing whatsoever; Elaine, just before she stands up, feels no shame in admitting that Gwen is one of the only people who can draw the words out of the blonde. They're friends, after all. When Gwen sounds apologetic, Elaine seizes the bars of the cell and assures her fiercely that no one who had ever properly known Gwen would ever want anything differently.

"Wind and fire, wind and fire." Elaine grins as she piles spell after spell onto the table for Merlin's perusal. Gwen might stay alive, they might fix it all, people won't die... "Go," she whispers.

And Gwen is safe, and Merlin's paranoid about fish, and all is as it should be.

Except, perhaps, a bit better than before.


	4. The Poisoned Chalice

_And now for another tale of magic and stuff... I need more adjectives. I have plenty, but they are very good at hide-and-seek, minus the seek part. Actually, the seeking's fine, it's the finding I'm still working on. Anyway, wacky metaphor-ish thing aside, Elaine's back in all her sarcastic/serious glory. I quite obviously, if you haven't picked up this, own only Elaine and NOBODY else (no, I created Merlin, because ALL the creators of Merlin are currently sitting on their living room floor attempting to type fanfiction while a cat does their best to delete everything. Yeah, right, I wish)._

"...and the beginning to a new friendship between our people." Elaine grins at that. Oh, yes, they all look very friendly indeed. The most this means is more complaining from Merlin as he rushes to and fro doing everyone's work. One of these days, Elaine means to sit Arthur down and have a long talk with him, except not.

Later, at the banquet, Elaine has decided that she wants Merlin's hat. Maybe she can ask him for it after the feast... Where on earth is the lovable idiot going? And with her, too... Oh. Never mind, Elaine thinks.

Then, of course Merlin comes in, decidedly _un-_ruffled, and spouting some nonsense about poison.

"Merlin," she whispers. "Merlin, don't," comes out just as he finishes the drink.

Idiot. Merlin, you absolute idiot.

Elaine is the second one at Merlin's side, terrified.

Back in Gaius' workshop, she works on helping Merlin to be more comfortable as Gaius looks for antidotes to whatever poison was used, with Arthur hovering over the older man's shoulder.

"Oh, Merlin, the prat does care," she whispers softly. Gwen hears and smiles in spite of the circumstances, because she's gotten a pretty good grasp of the relationship between servant and prince from conversations with Elaine and Merlin, and she knows, too.

"You are going, yes?" Elaine asks Arthur after Gaius explains about the Morteus flower. Gaius and Gwen both stare at her, but she'd be surprised and severely disappointed in her faith in destiny if Arthur said no.

Elaine watches in satisfaction when Arthur leaves.

Caring for Merlin, a dying Merlin, is far more sobering than any tactics which Elaine might apply after a night out; it really doesn't help when he starts muttering magical-sounding words and Gwen is _right there._ Elaine supposes it doesn't matter so much, since he's dying anywy, then mentally slaps herself. How could she think that? How could she ever...

When Gaius discovers the rash, Elaine is somewhat paralyzed with fear, not that she'll admit it, becasue she's strong - she has to be.

Then Gaius mentions the serving girl and Elaine scowls guiltily, because there she was, thinking Merlin and what's-her-face were just off to canoodle.

And now here Merlin is, muttering words that Elaine really, really hopes aren't spells, because Gwen is still right there, and damn it, she just doesn't want Merlin to die.

"It's a trap," Merlin moans. As Gwen goes for wolfbane - thank you, deity of distractions - Elaine stands and collects a bowl of water and some herbs.

"Elaine?" Gaius says. Elaine shrugs, because she thinks that Merlin is probably right, even if he is delirious.

So she sits on her bed and begins to look for Arthur, scrying because she is magical, after all, and these are desperate times if ever there were any.

Merlin has the light in his hands now, and Elaine is worried - for him, because hello, he's dying, and for Arthur because he's hanging off of a bloody wall and reaching for flowers just a bit to far away.

She shouldn't interfere, but she does, moving the plant closer to Arthur and preparing to catch him if he falls.

Elaine is pretty sure Merlin will forgive her for doing his job this time.

Elaine watches Arthur's return and conversation with Uther, and when she sees him reach for the flower from the floor of the cell, she stands up and knocks the bowl of water onto the floor, prepared to march down there.

Then Gwen comes in and her plan is infinitely better. But Elaine feels obliged to come too, because she's a part of it now; when Gwen says "food for the prisoner" Elaine just says "Gaius" and does a passable imitation of the infamous eyebrow. Even with strict orders, the guards know not to mess with her (she could drink them under the table and has done so on occasion), so the girls are escorted into the cell.

As Gwen sets the plate down, Elaine pretends to check Arthur's health and they exchange words, so Arthur knows to slip Gwen the herb.

Then the guard yells as they're leaving and Elaine and Gwen run, thinking only of Merlin and the breaths he's taking.

Gaius mentions that magic may be needed, and Gwen points out that it's illegal (she's just ever so helpful like that). Elaine hastily asks for fresh water and Gwen leaves, letting Elaine watch Gaius imbue the antidote with power. She takes mental notes, because you never know, and the mixture sizzles a bit just before Gwen returns, and then...

Merlin's heart's not beating - not doing anything - what's going on? He's silent, and oh, god, this can't be how it turns out -

Elaine cries out and screw the consequences, nothing lasts, she pounds on his chest a few times. She takes a breath, but lets it out before she gets to his mouth. How could something as simple as that affect magic or poison? So Elaine curls up into a little ball and cries silently, the way children do when they fear the wrath of their parents if they're discovered.

Then he comes back, Merlin does, and he makes some crack about Gaius hugging Gwen. Elaine's pretty sure it had nothing to do with her, and everything to do with the antidote, but she feels smug anyway, because she helped.

Then Gwen kisses Merlin, which gives Elaine no end of pleasure, and it's happy again.

Unless you're the king who's been framed, but he is released eventually, so whatever.


	5. Interlude: Beginning

_This is not based off of an episode, as you will see. It is the story of how Elaine had her first conversation with Arthur, because I regard this as important and I want to have a little bit of plot that's my own (of course, this is more bonding than actual plot, but whatever. It's building up to when I write a big long thing of my own). So I don't own Arthur or Gaius or Merlin of course, just in case you haven't been paying attention. Also, for my readers who don't read the AN, anachronisms = purposeful. Just so we're clear. Have fun reading this little bit of whatever.  
Also, you will see that the thing about Merlin spending all his time in the tavern was NOT, in fact, invented by Gaius... My brain does what it will._

It's only after the excitement and worry Merlin inadvertently causes that Elaine realizes she spoke to the actual prince. Of course, Arthur never spoke to her, but her awe is less that of a fangirl and more academic in nature, so she's hardly squealing about it.

(When anyone else can hear her.)

So she realizes this, and gets on with her life without expecting any reciprocation, because really? The only thing to bind the two blondes together is Merlin. And he's... well, he's Merlin. Everyone loves him, unless they're Uther or trying to kill somebody.

Quite obviously, the universe does not think in a similar manner to Elaine, because five days after the whole Nimueh-flower-Merlin-light thing has blown over, Arthur shows up at the physician's workroom when Elaine is the only one there. (And how exactly did he know she was the only one there? Was he just standing outside or something, because that's decidedly creepy...)

"Are you looking for-" she begins, but Arthur holds up a hand.

"I would like to speak with you, actually."

Elaine stares at him, stunned.

"You're Elaine, yes? Merlin's friend," Arthur says, and Elaine slowly remembers to close her mouth. She nods.

"When you asked me if I would go after the Morteus leaves... You said it for Merlin's sake, right?"

Elaine blinks at him uncomprehendingly.

"...Oh! Oh, you think - Oh, come one, pra- Arth- Sire," she fumbles lamely. "Why would I try to kill you if I'd never really met you?"

Arthur meets her gaze. "It seems to be happening a lot lately."

Elaine smiles as she grinds up herbs into powder. "Well, I promise you, Sire, if I ever try to kill you, there'll be a reason." What she doesn't say is that, unless destiny goes absolutely screwy and Arthur threatens Merlin's life, that will never happen.

"Is that a possibility?" Arthur asks, but there's no malice or distrust - if Elaine had to guess, she'd say it was honest curiousity.

Elaine pretends to ponder this. "Well, Sire, insanity is always a possibility, but I'd say hopefully not."

Arthurnods. "Good to hear." He waits, clearly expecting Elaine to continue the conversation, but she just hums tunelessly as she scrapes plant paste into a jar.

"How on earth did you come to be friends with Merlin, anyway? He talks... _so _much, and you barely speak," Arhtur finally asks, rather rudely in Elaine's opinion, but then he is the prince - not that that's a reasonable excuse.

Elaine shrugs. "Well, we stick together. We have to."

"Oh?" Arthur says, and Elaine curses internally. She was talking about the whole magic thing, of course, but she can't exactly reveal that to His Nosiness over there, can she? "Why is that?"

"Father issues," Elaine blurts, only she's afraid Arthur might keep prying, and that's something she doesn't want to discuss for a whole different reason, so she adds, "and alcohol."

"Alcohol?" Arthur seems slightly shocked at the idea of this sedate young woman belting bawdy songs with the coarsest of tavern-goers.

"Yes, that's it," Elaine says triumphantly, nodding her head. "We just... like our mead, you know? Only don't mention it to Merlin," she adds conspiratorially. "Sensitive, you know."

"He can be such a girl, can't he?"

"Mm-hmm." Elaine nods sagely, choosing to ignore the gender stereotype for the moment. There will be time to fix that, later, time to tech Arthur what women can do, time to teach him that the strongest men are those who cry, time to teach him how to look for love in those like Gwen, those who deserve it and can reciprocate - there is always time.

Elaine knows that if Arthur found out about any one of her secrets, she'd be in such trouble. She knows she treads a perilous path each day she spends in Camelot.

Honestly, though, she wouldn't trade all the safety and security there ever was for that one afternoon spent in an old physician's workroom laughing about Merlin, the greatest warlock who ever lived, with Prince Arthur Pendragon, and it's not just because of the historical value.

Trust can go a long way once it's formed, after all, and that's something which has just begun.

* * *

_Ok, so I'm breaking my normal pattern and writing at the end of a story as well, but there is something I must say. Lancelot may be a long time in coming, because a friend and I are working on it together (hint: Elaine's not the only girl with secrets wandering around Gaius' workshop). Again, anachronisms will abound, and it's not actually supposed to be crack, clearly, so try to figure that out. If you do, I love you so much... Ok, do me a favor and review. Let me know what you think of the Interludes. Should I keep doing them?_


End file.
